Kuching: As we celebrate the Chinese New Year festive season, it is customary for homes, shops and marketplaces to be adorned with decorations to usher in joy and a festive atmosphere.
This is part and parcel of our culture and tradition.
In that spirit, DAP prepared simple Chinese New Year door stickers to spread festive cheer. Over the weekend, these stickers were distributed at the 7 Mile, and some traders voluntarily chose to put them up around the 7 Mile market area.
This was done because, as many traders themselves pointed out, there were no Chinese New Year decorations at all, and the market did not feel festive despite the season.
However, yesterday, the council took drastic action by removing all these stickers.
This has angered the traders for spoiling the festive cheer.
The explanation given by MPP that council buildings cannot display political party material is frankly ridiculous.
There is a clear and blatant double standard at play.
While all DAP-related stickers were swiftly and thoroughly removed, SUPP’s materials were allowed to remain displayed openly throughout the market area, without any enforcement action taken against them.
This is clearly selective enforcement.
Time and again, anything associated with DAP is treated as a violation, while materials linked to SUPP or GPS are tolerated and simply ignored.
As pointed out by Tiong King Sing, the Ministry of Public Health, Local Government, and Housing has politicised many matters.
Instead of acting as neutral administrators serving all residents fairly, local councils are increasingly seen as tools to target opposition parties.
What is even more disappointing is that while the MPP is busy hunting down harmless festive stickers, it turns a blind eye to far more serious issues.
Illegal moneylenders’ advertisements continue to be plastered within the market area, yet no urgency or enforcement can be seen in removing these unlawful and harmful notices.
Is MPP here to serve the public interest, or to police political affiliation?
Local councils must act professionally, impartially and fairly.
They should focus on cleanliness, safety, public health and community wellbeing.
Festive decorations should never be turned into a political battleground.
Michael Kong Feng Nian
DAP Sarawak Assistant Publicity Secretary
10 February 2026
